Stay Awhile
by SpyKid18
Summary: "Barry, will you stay until I fall asleep?" Barry helps a drunk Caitlin fall asleep. Set in 1x12. Barry/Caitlin.


**A/N: This is my very first Flash fan fiction! Hope you enjoy!**

Stay Awhile

"Barry, will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

She sounded so tentative, like a small girl asking her parents to keep the lights on at night. He was so accustomed to seeing her strong and certain. That's how she always was at work. Determined and in command. Nothing like this girl curled up in bed who couldn't even change into pajamas by herself.

"Yeah, of course," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed and patting her leg. She nodding, burrowing her head into the pillow. Her hair fanned over her cheek, chestnut against ivory. He could hear her breathing settle, the inhales and exhales lengthening until she'd fallen into a comfortable rhythm. He tracked her breaths with his own, a calm settling over him as he noted that with all the running he did, it was nice to be in one place.

He began to stand up, thinking that she'd probably appreciate a glass of water next to her bed in the morning, when she mumbled, "Barry, where are you going?"

"Just to your kitchen," he assured her. "I'm going to get you water."

"Oh, okay," she said. "It's in the faucet."

He smirked. "Thank you."

Her kitchen was extremely tidy, appliances in a neat row against one wall and a cookie jar - which was empty; he checked – napkin holder, and candle against the other wall. Two dish towels hung from the oven door handle, the towels perfectly folded.

He searched for a glass, pulling open a few cupboards before he found the right one, and then he filled it with water. When he came back into the room Caitlin said, "I can't sleep."

"Just close your eyes," he told her gently, setting the glass on her nightstand.

"When I close my eyes the room moves."

He looked at her in confusion. "It what?"

"It moves," she repeated, somewhat petulantly. "When I close my eyes, it moves."

He had a sudden flashback to the one time he had vodka in college, and how he'd gotten what his friend termed the spins. Every time he closed his eyes it felt like he was on a tilt-a-whirl, and not in a fun way. He'd vomited more that night than all his flus combined.

"Okay," he said, sitting back down on the bed. "What you have right now is called the spins. And there's no real way to get through it than to…well…get through it."

Caitlin frowned. "That's not very helpful."

"That's what you get for downing four vodka tonics," he said.

"Don't say vodka," she groaned. "Or tonic."

"I'm sorry," he said with a slight grin. He reached over and picked up the glass of water, holding it out toward her. "Drink some of this. It should help."

"I can't drink anything," she said, pushing herself up on her arms. "I don't want it."

"I know you don't want it," he said. "But you need to drink it. You're probably dehydrated. So, bottoms up Dr. Snow."

She swallowed hard and admitted, "I don't really know if I can sit up right now? My head starts doing this weird thing and the room moves more…"

"Alright," he said, scooting forward. "I'll help. Just, tilt your head forward a bit."

She did as he told her, tilting her head forward as he gingerly tipped the glass toward her mouth. He brought his other hand to her jaw and helped her drink.

"There you go, nice and easy," he said. After a few gulps he pulled it back and said, "That's enough for now. Any more and you might end up in the bathroom."

"No bathroom," she said, shaking her head a bit before stopping abruptly. She winced and bit out, "No shaking head, either."

Barry chuckled, "Lay back down. It should be a little better now. Try to close your eyes."

She squeezed her eyes shut and after a few moments they popped back open.

"I think it's worse," she murmured. "It's still moving, and I don't know what to do and…" she sniffed, her face scrunching up, "…why is this happening to me, Barry?"

"Oh my God are you a dramatic drunk," Barry said, beginning to laugh. Caitlin, lost in the absolute horror that was the spins, cried, "Why are you laughing? It's not funny!"

"It's a little funny," he said. "Believe me, you'll find it funny tomorrow."

"Fat chance."

She hiccupped a bit and then tried to close her eyes. They opened right back up like before, her fingers grasping at her sheets. Barry sighed and then began to take off his shoes. He stood up and walked around to the other side of the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a small voice, turning on her other side to watch him.

"I'm helping you."

He laid down on the empty side of the bed and grabbed her hand.

"Okay, now I need you to close your eyes," he said.

She hesitated and said, "I'm afraid."

He turned his head toward her and saw the pain and fear in her eyes. He knew this was about more than just the spins. It was the entire reason they were out, her trying to escape her dead fiancée who wasn't dead and wasn't really even her fiancée anymore. As she termed it, he was someone who burst into flames and ran away every time she was near. This night had been about her finding her footing again, so to speak, and it had turned into a disaster.

"Just try, Caitlin. For me? Try for me."

Her eyes bore into his, and he could see every emotion that flitted through then until her eyelids drifted shut. He squeezed her hand and said, "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah," she said.

"Whenever you feel like the room is spinning I want you to squeeze my hand," he told her. "Can you do that?"

She responded with a squeeze.

"Good," he said. "Just do that. Squeeze my hand when you feel the room move."

She squeezed his hand suddenly so tightly that it made him wince.

"That-that's it," he said. "Just squeeze that hand."

"I am never drinking again," she said in a hoarse voice. "Never, ever again."

* * *

Caitlin woke up at some point in the night with a blinding headache and a mouth so dry it felt like there was a squirrel in there. She turned her head to the side and inhaled sharply when she saw Barry's sleeping form beside her. He was on top of the covers, still dressed in his powder blue sweater and jeans. She vaguely remembered him taking her home and her asking him to stay until she fell asleep. He must have dozed off while he waited.

It was then that she realized their hands interlocked in the center of the bed. His hand was warm against hers, and she tentatively ran her ran her thumb along the edge of his hand. He shifted, turning on his side so they were almost nose to nose.

She froze in surprise, her eyes travelling over the planes of his face and how he had the lightest dusting of freckles across his nose. She'd never noticed that before. It was after she'd examined his features for a good minute that she realized what she was doing, and she gently pulled her hand from his. It felt cold without his, and she rubbed her hand against her leg.

Her gaze landed on the water set on her nightstand and she gratefully downed half the glass, the water tasting like the greatest thing to ever pass through her lips. She set the glass back down on the nightstand, and heard Barry stir behind her.

"Hey," he said, propping himself up on his arms. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep."

"It's okay," she said.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes, thank you. The worst seems to have passed, so that's good."

He smiled, yawning. "Yeah. Well, I should probably head back. I didn't mean to stay over."

"You don't have to go," she offered, tucking her hair behind her ears. "It is pretty late."

"It's okay," he said, shrugging. "I won't be out long, anyway. Super speed and all."

"Oh right," she said with a slight grin. "I forgot about that."

He dropped back down onto the mattress and said, "I'll go in a few minutes."

A few minutes later, he was sound asleep again.

They both woke up some time later at a more appropriate time when the sun was out and Starbucks were open. She offered him coffee, which he happily accepted. Over two steaming cups he said, "Sorry for crashing. I really did mean to leave."

"It's okay," she said, sipping her coffee. "It was actually sort of nice to have someone else here."

He smiled slightly, and she could have sworn there was a flush to his cheeks as he said, "Well, I just hope I didn't snore."

She considered that for a moment and told him, "I do not remember any snoring. You did move around a lot, though. And there might have been a sleep kick at one point."

His eyes widened. "A sleep kick?"

"You're not nearly as bad as Ronnie," she told him. "He actually knocked me off the bed once on accident."

"That had to hurt."

"The carpet cushioned my fall," she said. "It's surprisingly plush."

Barry laughed. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. Last night was fun, by the way. I know it didn't exactly end well, but you seemed to be having fun the rest of the night."

She nodded, thinking about the rush she'd felt when she walked into the bar. "I did."

"We should do it again," he said casually. "Two friends taking on the town."

"That sounds nice," she said with a soft grin. "Really nice, actually."

His grin widened and she felt a surprising pull at the base of her stomach. To cover her reaction, she grabbed her coffee cup and took a sip.

"Well, I should head out,' he said. "Thank you for the coffee."

"You're welcome," she said.

She walked him to the door and they stopped there for a second, neither of them saying anything. She went to say something just as he began to speak and they broke off, laughing awkwardly.

"I'll see you later, Barry," she said, nerves suddenly pulled so tight that she felt like her body would hum with the slightest touch.

"Bye Caitlin."

**A/N: I'd love to hear your thoughts!**


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